


Phone Tag

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Friendship, Humor, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-09 01:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1964247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I feel like you're trying to make a point, Spencer.  I just have no idea what it is.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Phone Tag

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for the prompt ‘missed call’. It’s for andersonsland because she gave me the prompt, she loves the boys and passed that love onto me, and because she’s awesome. This story isn’t in the #1 Crush universe because I'm trying to stay linear. This is Handerson: The College Years.

** American University, November 2012 **

“Is my phone in here?” Anderson burst through the door of their dorm room. “Hey, Spencer!”

“Huh?” the teen looked up from his Introduction to Philosophy text book. He was only supposed to read two chapters but it was so good that Spencer kept going. He’d even slowed down his reading so he could savor the information.

“I lost my phone. I thought it was in my back pocket when I went out for ice cream with the girls. When I felt it buzzing I reached for it but it wasn’t there.”

“How did you feel it buzzing if it wasn’t there?”

“Seriously?” Anderson was incredulous. “That’s what you got from my story?”

“It wasn’t really a story.” Spencer replied. “It was more like a jumble of sentences pertaining to one subject. Stories have components, guidelines that have to be followed and…”

“If you're so brilliant,” Anderson cut him off. “Tell me hypovibrochondria is.”

“That’s not a word.” The teen genius shook his head.

“It is. It’s the technical term for phantom phone vibration. When you think you hear or feel your cell phone buzzing but it’s not doing anything. It’s a new word…a combination of vibro for vibrate and hypochondria.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Anderson nodded. “I think it’s even in Oxford now.”

“I should write this down.” Spencer grabbed his pencil and pad. “H-Y-P-O-V…”

“I’d really like to get back to the conversation at hand. My cell phone is missing.”

“Check the top shelf in your closet. You always put it up there when you're grabbing a shirt or sweater.”

“Good idea.” Anderson went over to the closet. He looked around, moved some things, but it wasn’t there. Then he checked his desk drawers, under his bed, the hamper, and the trashcan. There was no sign of his cell phone. He let out a guttural moan of frustration.

“Did you find out?” Gina Sharp knocked and stuck her head in the door. She lived down the hall with Rachel Harding, who’d gone to LBJ with Grant and Spencer. She and Anderson had been thick as thieves since the second week of school. They ended up sitting next to each other at freshman orientation. Most of their conversation consisted of making up names for all the people around them. “I checked my room but it’s not there.”

“It’s gone.” Anderson moaned again, throwing himself on the bed. “It’s gone forever.”

“I know we’ll find it. Hey, maybe you left it in the bathroom or something. Someone could’ve given it to the RA.”

“Yeah!” the thought made Anderson sit up. “Nora always ends up with people’s stuff. Let’s go.”

He jumped from the bed, he and Gina rushing down the hall. Anderson tried to have some sense of decorum as he knocked on Nora’s door. There were 2 RAs per floor in Hughes Hall but Nora Bennett was actually dedicated to her position. She was the finder of lost things, comforter of the homesick, organizer of movie nights and Sunday brunches. Many students would be lost without Nora’s guidance. They rarely saw Mick Rawson, the other RA.

“Hey guys.” Nora opened her door. Jason Gideon, who Anderson had known for a while, was sitting at her desk. Nora’s face didn’t betray them interrupting anything.

“I lost my phone.” Anderson said.

“Did anyone turn one in as lost or missing?” Gina asked.

“Not recently.” Nora shook her head. “I only have an iPod, a Zippo, a composition book, and a flannel shirt. I’ll let you guys know if that changes.”

“Thanks Nora.” They said in unison.

Back in Anderson's room he was in full doomsday mode. Everything was in his phone; he had no idea what he would do without it. Just the thought of having to refill another phone with contacts made him want to burst into tears. Not to mention all of his pictures. All of his favorite pictures were on that phone. He told himself every other day that he'd move them to his laptop but never did. Now they were gone forever.

“It turns out that hypovibrochondria is a real word.” Spencer said. 

“I already told you that, Spencer.” Anderson sighed.

“Hypo what?” Gina asked.

“Don’t even get him started.” He shook his head. “What am I going to do without my phone? I know they always make fun of people not being able to live without their phones but…how am I going to live without my phone?”

“Call yourself.” Spencer said.

“What?” 

“Call the phone.” Spencer repeated. “If it’s in the room you would hear it ring right?”

“Oh my God,” Anderson jumped up again, rushed over to Spencer, and kissed him on the lips. “Spencer you're a damn genius.”

“According to three IQ tests, and surely my mother, yes I am.”

“Gina, call my phone!”

Gina pulled her cell from her jeans pocket and went to her address book. She slid her finger across the phone to call him. After a few seconds music started to play in the room.

_Black as night, faster than a shadow  
Crimson flare from a raging sun  
An exhibition, sheer precision  
Yet no one knows from where he comes_

“Judas Priest?” Gina raised her eyebrow.

“Rob Halford forever.” Anderson dived under his pillow and grabbed his phone. “Oh baby, I'm so glad you're OK.”

“And the world breathes a collective sigh of relief.” Gina smiled and rolled her eyes. “If it was a snake, Anderson, it would’ve bitten you.”

“I have two missed calls. Spencer, you didn’t hear my phone ringing earlier?”

“I was reading.” Spencer replied.

“Of course.” Anderson checked his phone and a smile spread across his face. “Hotch called. I hope he left a message.”

“And that’s my cue to leave.” Gina got up from the bed. “I'm glad you found your phone. I’ll see you in the morning…unless you wanna come and gush about Captain Awesome’s phone call later.”

“I probably will.”

Gina waved and left. Anderson lay back on his pillows and dialed his voice mail. He was really upset that he'd missed Hotch’s phone call. Sometimes they had to play phone tag for days. He couldn’t wait for Thanksgiving break in three weeks so they could see each other again. 

Hotch ended up staying in New York over his school’s three day midterm weekend, even though it was a week apart from Anderson's. He wanted to focus on work and getting acclimated to the campus. Anderson did his best not to feel slighted about that. He knew how important grades were to Hotch.

‘You have one new message.’

“Hey Grant, I'm sorry I missed you. I've been thinking about you and meaning to call all day but just got some time. School is really busy but I've been studying hard. I hope you're studying too. I love you Grant, I miss you, and I'm looking forward to coming home for Thanksgiving break. Give me a call if you get this message before nine; I'm going to bed early tonight. Hit me up on Facebook if you get it after. I love you. Bye.”

“How many times are you going to listen to that message?” Spencer asked.

“312 times.” Anderson said, hitting 1 to hear it again.

“That’ll be three more times than the last voicemail.”

“I feel like you're trying to make a point, Spencer. I just have no idea what it is. Damn, I miss him.”

“I know you do.”

“How am I gonna get through this for the next four years? It hasn’t even been one semester. I'm a blubbering mess when it comes to this guy. It’s wonderful but truly sucks all at the same time.”

“I think you're going to be fine.” Spencer replied. “You're making friends and taking a bunch of classes to keep you busy. You might be able to go and visit New York during one of our breaks from school. And you can always talk on the phone or social networks. You're going to be OK, Anderson. You're really a lucky guy...you know how to live.”

“Hey, speaking of knowing how to live…” Anderson sat up on his bed. “What's up with the cute brunette?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Spencer said. “I know a lot of brunettes.”

“Uh uh, this one is really cute. The words totally adorable were used when I heard about her. She has an Irish name I think. I have no idea why I can't remember right now. Maeve, yeah it’s Maeve. Its Maeve right? That’s what Rachel told me.”

“I do know a girl named Maeve.”

“Oh snap, tell me all about her.”

“We just have Philosophy class together.” Spencer looked down at his mismatched socks when he spoke. “I'm thinking of changing my major.”

“From Chemistry to Philosophy?” Anderson asked. “That’s a big change.”

“Well I’ll probably pull a double major. I can handle it.”

“So you and Brunette Maeve just have Philosophy class together. C'mon Spencer, give me more. I want the deets.”

“I don't know.” Spencer shrugged. “I'm not good with the whole girls thing. She wants to be a doctor but also wants to be a teacher and we like a lot of the same things and…you know.” he shrugged again. “She's kinda awesome.”

“I’ll help you if you want.” Anderson said. “We can have a movie night, invite her over.”

“Don’t turn out the lights and try to make it sexy. I'm sure there are a million other ways for me to embarrass myself.”

“Scout’s honor.” Anderson crossed his heart. Then he lay back on the bed. “I'm gonna listen to the voicemail again.”

“You could just call him back. Its only 8:15…I doubt he's in bed yet.”

“I would call you a genius again Spencer, but you already know.” Anderson got up. He went and grabbed his windbreaker from the closet; the nights were getting chillier. “I'm gonna go outside.”

“I'm going back to my book.”

The roommates parted ways. Anderson smiled his entire way down to the ground floor. It had been nearly a week since he talked to Hotch but it felt like forever. While he wanted to make sure he didn’t sound to desperately wanting in the call, Anderson needed Hotch to know how much he was loved and missed.

“Hi.” Hotch picked up the phone. “I was really hoping you'd call tonight.”

“I thought I lost my cell phone.” Anderson walked out of the glass doors and onto the portico. “Tell me all about your day and then I’ll tell you how I knew a word that Spencer didn’t.”

***


End file.
